civic EP3. first changes ?

Good evening guys. I've spent most of my sunday here reading and reading. tbh? I'm confused. well confused. some of you guys agree with supercharged. some of you guys agree with turbo EP3's.( and it might be cheaper). I'll try to make the right questions or simple as possible.
I have a stock ep3 with just an induction kit (aem 2). I've checked all the paperwork of the vehicle and doesn't seem to be added any other "mod". But I have been in 3 others Ep3's and mine feels way quicker until the 4th gear than the other cars( even they have said that when they drove it).
anyway...
I absolutely love this little toy and I want to start modifying it.
I've read here somewhere the best place to start is with the ECU replace and a remap.
Shouldn't I change the exhaust manifold aswell? acorrding to Chris " The K20A2 exhaust is quite good, and replacing it won't help power much at all. You will need a larger diameter if you plan to tune it further though. 2.25 to 2.5 maximum unless you want to use forced induction... Good for about 5 bhp "

all I've seen is people saying the Kpro kit is probably the best kit in value/expectations.

What's a magnex back box?
Also I might be wrong/stupid of saying it. but I reckon if you change the fuel injection everything else will respond much quicker/better. no? :lol:

anyway I'm not worried about costs ( I hope not). but I feel lost and I'm not sure which direction I should start following.

maybe last question, how far could you mod your ep3 and keep it reliable?

ok last one, Does anyone know a good garage to pop in and have a look/chat in Norfolk?

Many Many thanks.

Daniel.

I_ shall keep reading :lol::lol:

First stop. Handling. Get the front camber bolts and rear adjustable camber arms and a fast road setup done on the alignment. Consider what tyres are currently on the rims, consider also that those are responsible for stopping you and preventing you from ending up in a ditch.

Make sure it's in good shape over-all, underside rust (and the arches), clutch, synchros. Hell, if you have the gearbox in pieces then it might be a good time to fit an LSD, replace the bearings and seals.

After that worry about speed. Can't go fast if you can't go round a corner or actually move that power from crank to the ground.

+1 to above, also dont neglect brakes, some decent pads, fluid and braided lines.

These are very reliable even tuned up to silly power, providing they are well looked after!

A comment on FI, most people I have seen prefer turbo over SC, many have gone from SC to turbo wanting more.

Again you need handling sorted before you will even be able to put the power down

In my opinion 1st things to do on an ep3 =
Decent tyres all four not just fronts, good brake pads, discs stainless braided lines and new brake fluid then suspension upgrades such as camber front bolts, adjustable rear arms, good lowering springs ( Eibach 30mm ) , JDM rear anti roll bar , new drop links and track rod ends if required then get a fast road set up done and alignment at a good garage. After this think about power mods.

Handling first. As Mike.H says. Camber arms and bolts, full Geo set up, decent tyres. You will be surprised how much better it feels once its planted. LSD is an expensive option, but if your planning a clutch and flywheel change and its in budget thens the time to do it.

Kpro is a good choice, but remember its recommended to have it remapped with each engine modification to get the most out of your EP3, so my advice is get everything done at the same time, Intake manifold, exhaust etc, then get it mapped.

I had a Supercharger, and got bored after 6 months and ended up going turbo. My honest advice is, save yourself a load of time and money, and just go turbo. You can fettle a turbo, whereas a SC is pretty much fit and forget.

Also a snail will make you do a sex wee when it blows off.

Much appreciate for all the replies.
Ok here is what I have done so far:
- 4 new calipers. 4 new brake pads. (Ebc)
- 4 new low profile tyres.
- Swapped all ball joints for brand new ones.
- changed the engine oil for one recommended by local Honda garage.
- tear the gearbox apart and changed the gearbox oil aswell. Again the one recommended by Honda. ( before that the gearbox was awfuly bad on shifting gears.)
- My friend said the gearbox seems well maintained for his age.
- my cat was making a rattle noise on low revs so we’ve removed it. Lub and put it back in place.
Still makes a rattle noise. But I can’t hear it anymore.
Also I have been told today the handling of an ep3 it is indeed “heavy” and there is nothing you can do about it( really?) I do habe a 08 plate focus and hell it is way different.
I have checked and my suspensions/coilovers are from HKS and they were fitted in 2014. All four of them. Lowered somethinf like 30mm.
Also I have checked the discs and they all are stainless( which is a good start right? )
And indeed. I’m definetely getting all the pieces at once and then doing all the changes at once. Tbh Im looking for 240-260bhp. Not like 420bhp Tom83’s ep3 . That must be a mental quick civic.

Even I dont understand nothing about cars. I absolutely love driving japanese cars.
Hope you all have had a good weekend.
Cumps
Daniel

You will get 240-260bhp with all the bolt on Mods.

The rattle is probably the heat shield above the CAT.

I was running 470bhp by the time TDi North had finished.

Heavy handling? That's a new one to me.

tom83 said:

You will get 240-260bhp with all the bolt on Mods.

The rattle is probably the heat shield above the CAT.

I was running 470bhp by the time TDi North had finished.

Click to expand...

how much money are we talking about here? If I'd do everything at once?
I think I might drive to a very good garage instead of trying to find a local one. I don't know yet.

Krzys said:

Heavy handling? That's a new one to me.

Click to expand...

IMHO the ep3's steering mechanisms feels heavier/way different than my ford focus or even my previously eg9. Could I swap the steering system to a more modern one?
also silly question but I reckon the answer would be yes. Can the v-tec be set to kick in at 4500 instead of 5500?

thank you guys

I'm not up to date with prices these days, but bolt on Mods include;

RBC intake manifold,
An air intake ( Tegiwa M is probably the best bet )
4 2 1 Branch Exhaust Manifold ( Friendly MOT place needed)
A 2.5" B-Pipe ( Exhaust center section )
A decent back box ( Magnex, answers the question in your original post).
Programmable ECU, ( Kpro, AEM or equivalent)

You could always throw in a bigger throttle body, for good measure.

The K20 is a very strong engine, keep your eye on the oil level, it can be thirsty. But aslong as the timing chain is in good condition, it will easily see 130k miles, probably a lot more.

First mods on mine...

215 45 17 Yokohama AD08r tyres.
TSS Short shifter.
Skunk2 heavy gear knob.
Tegiwa induction kit, sold this and bought an ITG maxogen.
JDM RARB with superpro polybushes, also polybushed the front arb.
Rear meyle HD drop links.

Bought but not fitted.....

Meyle HD front drop links.
Eibach camber bolts.
M2 rear camber arms.
Wishbones with polybushes.
M2 silenced 2.4" b pipe.

Going on this weekend....

Rota Boost alloys in gunmetal.

I used to have a 70mm ported RBC mani I was going fit to my Fn2, but I sold it. Regret that

With everything rounded to the nearest £10

Decent tyres would be around £110-130 per corner (something like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4)
JDM rear ARB can be had for £120 or so (plus drop links)
Gearbox rebuild kit (shaft and case bearings, synchros, seals) for £700 I think
LSD for £250-400 (second hand from an FN2) to £900 (new Wavetrac) - I'm only talking helical here, no idea about plated, but I doubt you'd want plated for something that was a daily and never saw the track
Hardrace rear camber arms £90, Eibach camber bolts £30
Eibach springs £160
RBC inlet manifold £300 (or RRC £480)
New air box/intake (Gruppe M, Tegiwa, Spoon) - second hand £250 if you're very lucky, but the prices just go up
New catback varies hugely, consider around £700
Exhaust manifold may not be necessary (and if you go 4-2-1 then you do without a cat and need a friendly MOT place)
K-100 plus tuning varies too, just gonna say £500 just for starters (k-pro is closer to £800)

All this, plus labour (installation, tuning, FRSU alignment). Not a small sum.

Daniel R said:

IMHO the ep3's steering mechanisms feels heavier/way different than my ford focus or even my previously eg9. Could I swap the steering system to a more modern one?
also silly question but I reckon the answer would be yes. Can the v-tec be set to kick in at 4500 instead of 5500?

thank you guys

Click to expand...

Ah okay. What year is your EP3? When I first got mine (2005 Facelift) I thought the steering was way too light for the character of the car. When I had the LSD fitted though it gave it a more direct feel.

Yes, when the car gets remapped they'll always drop the crossover to around 4,500rpm.

The pre-facelift steering was a point of complaint when it was introduced (way too light, too little feel), this is why the facelift's steering has a slightly different feel. Both of them are supposed to feel a lot lighter than traditional hydraulic systems though, so I'm surprised to hear you referring to it as "heavy".

I got a ep3 facelift or pre-facelift (december 03)

Anyway guys. Thanks for the replies.

Here is the list of items I have searched so far:

HONDA 70MM RBC INLET MANIFOLD CIVIC EP3 INTEGRA DC5 K20A - 395£


TEGIWA CARBON AIRBOX HONDA CIVIC TYPE R EP3 - 385£

TEGIWA SILICONE INTAKE PIPE HONDA CIVIC EP3 INTEGRA DC5 - 55£

TEGIWA EXHAUST MANIFOLD HEADER CIVIC EP3 INTEGRA DC5 01-06 - 495£


SPOON EXHAUST B-PIPE HONDA CIVIC EP3 INTEGRA DC5 TYPE R - 570£
*
HONDA CIVIC EP3 TYPE-R CAT BACK SYSTEM - 527.41£ / 200ish 2nd hand or £410 on ebay (new)


HONDATA K-PRO ECU HONDA CIVIC TYPE R EP3 K20A2 UK 01-06 - £800

Skunk 74mm Throttle Body - Honda Civic Type R EP3 & Integra DC5 - £359.50

Basically £3500ish without the labour/mapping it.

What could we expect from this mods guys ?!

Many thanks

Daniel

I would be amazed if you didn't make 250ish with those mods. Also don't forget when you get the car mapped, if done by a decent mapper, the artificial power surge will be mapped out of it, and a more straight line map will replace it, so it will pull like a train through to 8400rpm.

Also keep your eye on eBay for parts, will save you a fortune in the long run.

Yours is the pre-facelift Daniel, the facelift was introduced in 2004 and had the new projector-style lights and clear rear light housings, and indicators moved from the front wing to the mirrors.

The steering feel was improved (and by improved i mean made slightly heavier and faster) in the facelift, which is why it surprises me to hear you considering the steering "heavy". Could you explain a little more?

That is quite a lot of ££ to get 50-80bhp don’t you think Tom? I dont know. I still might do it sooner or later.

Pretty much, for the same money you could probably turbo it, and get more power. I'm 99% sure TDi North do a drive in, drive out kit for £5k, thats 350bhp easy. Or you could keep an eye out for a second hand Jackson Racing Supercharger, probably a grand second hand, £800ish quid fitted and mapped, with a Kpro on top of that, will get you 300bhp.